Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice Moves to March 2016 Release

Plus, nine DC movie release dates revealed!

Warner Bros. and DC have moved Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice to a March 25, 2016, release date. The film had previously been slotted to open opposite Marvel's Captain America 3 on May 6, 2016.

The news was broken on Twitter by Jeff Sneider from The Wrap. Additionally, according to Box Office Mojo, nine more untitled DC movies and two "event" films have also gotten dates. They are:

Untitled DC Film - August 5, 2016

Untitled DC Film - June 23, 2017

Untitled DC Film - November 17, 2017

Untitled DC Film - March 23, 2018

Untitled DC Film - July 27, 2018

Untitled WB Event Film - November 16, 2018

Untitled DC Film - April 5, 2019

Untitled DC Film - June 14, 2019

Untitled DC Film - April 3, 2020

Untitled DC Film - June 19, 2020

Untitled WB Event Film - November 20, 2020

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The Batman v Superman move by Warners obviously avoids a face-off with Marvel's increasingly seemingly unbeatable properties. It had long been assumed that either BvS or Cap 3 would move, and now we have our answer as to who blinked first. According to The Wrap, a Warner Bros. insider explained the decision as such: “Not flinching -- it's a fantastic corridor for us.” And no doubt, that is true.

But simultaneously, Warners and DC have made a statement with the reveal of this slew of untitled projects. Last June, NikkiFinke.com reported that the studio was considering announcing several dates and titles at Comic-Con. This never came to pass, and many wondered if industry pundit Finke had been given bad information, but she claimed the following were tentatively planned: Shazam, Sandman, Justice League, Wonder Woman, a Flash and Green Lantern team-up, and Man of Steel 2. All fairly logical choices, and now one must wonder if some of those titles will fit into the dates above.

The Wrap also says that Man of Steel and BvS director Zack Snyder‘s JLA movie, Joseph Gordon-Levitt's Sandman, a Gal Gadot Wonder Woman film, a Jason Momoa Aquaman, and a Shazam/Black Adam film starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson are expected to fill at least some of these slots.

As for the two Warner Bros. "event" films, the Harry Potter spin-off Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is scheduled for Nov. 18, 2016, so don't be surprised if these are sequels to that.

What do you guys think of DC's ambitious slate of comic-book movies? Can it compete with Marvel? And how about that Batman v Superman release date change? Let's discuss in the comments!